Antonios Triantafyllakis

Current occupation

Payful Learning Catalyst

Work experience

Work Experience
I’m a learning designer, gamification expert, and consultant with over 20 years of experience empowering youth and organisations to create meaningful impact. My work focuses on leveraging experiential learning and gamification to address global challenges, particularly through the Erasmus+ programme and other international youth initiatives.

As an experienced international youth work trainer, I have successfully delivered numerous projects, focusing on capacity building, inclusion, and 21st-century skills development. I have worked with over 40 organisations and trained more than 2,000 learners across Europe, Asia, and beyond, fostering transformative learning experiences that align with the values of inclusion, diversity, and sustainability.

Expertise:
Trainer and Facilitator: Delivered over 80 projects, within Erasmus+ and beyond, including youth exchanges, training courses, and capacity-building activities in topics such as sustainability, gamification, and intercultural learning.
Programme Designer: Designed and implemented flagship Erasmus+ projects, such as Green Inclusion Seminar and K2Games, that combine experiential learning and gamification to drive sustainable impact.
Key Contributor: Collaborated with National Agencies, SALTO resource centres, and NGOs to implement high-quality projects aligned with Erasmus+ objectives, including digital skills development and youth empowerment.
Recognition and Impact: My projects, such as Climate for All, have been recognised for excellence, including awards from the European Union’s Education for Climate Community.

Highlights of My Work:
Co-designed the Training of Advanced Trainers (TAT) for IFMSA, introducing gamification in international youth for the first time and delivering courses globally.
Served as an adjunct professor for GBSB Global Business School, teaching "Enabling Gamification through Digital Technologies" at the school's MBA with outstanding feedback.
Facilitated multicultural learning environments in more than 700 hours of training, focusing on fostering creativity, collaboration, and practical application of skills.

Approach and Philosophy:
My facilitation style combines the structured frameworks of non-formal education with playful, gamified elements to engage learners deeply. I prioritise creating inclusive spaces where diverse participants can thrive and co-create solutions to shared challenges.

Below is a comprehensive list of Erasmus+ and other projects I’ve delivered, reflecting my extensive experience in youth work and international collaboration.

Below is a selected list of international projects I've worked on.

I have worked as a full-time trainer/facilitator in:
▫ Climate for All Facilitators Training (Erasmus+ training - Poland, 2024)
▫ Strengthening Identity (Erasmus+ training - Germany, 2024)
▫ Climate for All Game Design Finalising Seminar (Erasmus+ training - Germany, 2024)
▫ Breaking the Burnout Cycle: A Journey for Youth Workers (Erasmus+ training - Malta, 2024)
▫ Climate for All Project Kick-off Seminar (Erasmus+ training - Slovenia, 2023)
▫ Training New Trainers at MoroCamp V (IFMSA-Morocco - Morocco 2023)
▫ More Networking, More Exchanges, More Europe (Erasmus+ training - Germany, 2023)
▫ Digital Skills for NGOs (Erasmus+ training - Germany, 2023)
▫ Time of Changes, Europe of Changes (Erasmus+ training - Germany, 2022)
▫ Green Inclusion Seminar (Dutch National Agency of Erasmus+, SALTO Inclusion & Diversity, German and Belgian French-Speaking National Agencies - Netherlands 2022)
▫ Training New Trainers at MoroCamp 4.0 (IFMSA-Morocco - Morocco 2022)
▫ International Youth Conference 2021 (Youth Alliance Krusevo, North Macedonia)
▫ Future of Education Hackathon (N3XTCODER - Online, 2021)
▫ Future of Education Hackathon (N3XTCODER - Online, 2020)
▫ International Youth Conference 2019 (Youth Alliance Krusevo, North Macedonia)
▫ pre-General Assembly of IFMSA August Meeting | Training of Advanced Trainers (Taiwan, 2019)
▫ Training New Trainers China 2019 (IFMSA-China training)
▫ Local Training Course 2019 of AEGEE-Budapest (Hungary)
▫ Regional Training Course Iasi (AEGEE-Academy training - Romania 2019)
▫ pre-General Assembly of IFMSA March Meeting | Training of Advanced Trainers (Slovenia, 2019)
▫ Sub Regional Training Belgium: Changemakers SRT | Training of Advanced Trainers (IFMSA - Belgium 2018)
▫ Youth Against Extremism and Radicalisation (Erasmus+ training - Hungary 2018)
▫ Mini Human Resources European School Moskva 2018 (AEGEE-Academy training - Russia)
▫ Meanwhile in Siberia (New Year Event of AEGEE-Moskva/Tyumen - Russia 2018)
▫ Training New Trainers Bucuresti 2017 (AEGEE-Academy training - Romania)
▫ Transsiberian Dream. On cloud 9! (Summer University of AEGEE-Moskva - Russia, 2017)
▫ YO!Fest 2017 (European Youth Forum event - Netherlands)
▫ GROW (Scoala de Valori / AIESEC project - Romania, 2017)
▫ Training New Trainers Cluj-Napoca 2016 (AEGEE-Academy training - Romania)
▫ Local Training Course 2016 of AEGEE-Cluj-Napoca (Romania)
▫ A taste of FRES (AEGEE-Cluj-Napoca board training - Romania, 2016)
▫ Democracy, where are you going? (AEGEE-Madrid event - Spain, 2016)
▫ AEGEE-Bergamo Teambuilding Weekend (Italy, 2015)
▫ HyperYouth3000 (Erasmus+ training – Denmark, 2015)
▫ Network Meeting Kastoria 2015 (AEGEE-Europe event - Greece)
▫ Summer University Project School Cluj-Napoca 2015 (AEGEE-Academy/SUCT training, Romania)
▫ There and back again - Winter LTC 2015 (AEGEE-Heraklio event - Greece)
▫ Summer University Project School Izmir 2014 (AEGEE-Academy/SUCT training - Turkey)
▫ MATRIX activism 2.0 (Youth in Action training – Georgia, 2014)
▫ FYGO - Feeling Younger by Getting Older (Grundtvig project – Greece, 2014)

And as a part-time trainer/facilitator in:
▫ Climate for All Game Design Prototyping Seminar (Erasmus+ KA2 - Poland, 2024)
▫ Erasmus+ Future Focused Youth Ukraine (Portuguese Erasmus+ National Agency - Online, 2023)
▫ Trainers Yard (HelMSIC - Greece, 2022)
▫ CroMSIC General National Assembly (Croatia, 2022)
▫ TED Circles (facilitated discussions on a monthly theme inspired by TED talks - at Factory Berlin & Online, 2020-2022)
▫ European Youth Event 2021 (European Parliament - Strasbourg, France)
▫ EYP Summer Academy 2021 (European Youth Parliament - Online & in Prague, Czech Republic)
▫ 19th North American Basic Income Guarantee Congress (Income Movement - Online, 2021)
▫ The Art and Game of Meaningful Connections. Want to Play? (Creative Mornings & Cozy Juicy Real - Online, 2021)
▫ CONVERGE21: The Workshop Edition (Convercent by OneTrust - Online, 2021)
▫ The Reconnection Series: Reconnect with Others (The Call to Connection - Online, 2021)
▫ Online Training Festival (week-long training event by Trainers' Forum - Online, 2021)
▫ European Regional Meeting 2021 - preEuRegMe (IFMSA - Online, 2021)
▫ Annual Peer Education Workshop of MMSA's Standing Committee on Peer Education and Training (Online, 2020)
▫ Future For All congress (Konzeptwerk Neue Ökonomie - Online, 2020)
▫ sense_month, a digital event series on mental health and well-being (makesense Berlin event - Germany/Online 2020)
▫ EYE Online (European Parliament European Youth Event - Online, 2020)
▫ Summer University of AEGEE-Voronezh/Rostov-na-Donu/Kharkiv/Odesa (Russia/Ukraine 2018)
▫ Local meeting of AEGEE-Passau (AEGEE-Passau event - Germany 2018)
▫ Citizenship at its Grassroots (AEGEE-Europe event - Poland 2018)
▫ Connecting Europe (AEGEE-Europe event - Greece 2018)
▫ Network Meeting Cluj-Napoca 2017 of AEGEE-Cluj-Napoca (AEGEE-Europe event - Romania)
▫ Network Meeting Kyiv 2017 of AEGEE-Kyiv (AEGEE-Europe event - Ukraine)
▫ Spring Agora Enschede 2017 (AEGEE-Europe statutory event - Netherlands)
▫ European Planning Meeting Zagreb 2017 (AEGEE-Europe statutory event, Croatia)
▫ Trainers' Forum 2017 (Poland)
▫ Network Meeting Ankara 2016 of AEGEE-Ankara (AEGEE-Europe event - Turkey)
▫ Autumn Agora Chisinau 2016 (AEGEE-Europe statutory event - Moldova)
▫ 17th University on Youth and Development (Council of Europe - Spain, 2016)
▫ Ideas Factory - Planning Meeting (AEGEE-Europe statutory event - Spain, 2016)
▫ Summer University 2016 of AEGEE-Kyiv (Ukraine)
▫ Spring Agora Bergamo 2016 (AEGEE-Europe statutory event - Italy)
▫ Borderless Europe: Blessing or Burden? (AEGEE-Europe event, Romania, 2016)
▫ Euro-BRICS Young Leaders' Platform Planning Meeting (France, 2016)
▫ European Planning Meeting Leiden 2016 (AEGEE-Europe statutory event, Netherlands)
▫ Gala Ball Weekend in Heidelberg (AEGEE-Heidelberg event, Germany, 2016)
▫ dioNYsiaE: The Revival of Gods (AEGEE-Salerno event – Italy, 2015)
▫ Leaders for Europe (EuroDEMOS project – Romania, 2015)
▫ Network Meeting Krakow 2015 of AEGEE-Krakow (AEGEE-Europe event - Poland)
▫ Summer University 2015 of AEGEE-Dresden/Wroclaw/Berlin (Poland, Germany)
▫ Summer Universities 2012, 2013, 2014 & 2015 of AEGEE-Heraklio (Greece)
▫ Pitstop 2013 (Youth in Action training - Austria)
▫ The threads that connect us (Grundtvig project - Greece, 2012)

Furthermore, I have worked as a game designer for the following Erasmus+ KA2 projects:
▫ Climate for All - Games for Education on Sustainability (my award-winning brainchild, which I'm also coordinating and is an ongoing project) - 2023-present
▫ StrateCrowd - Crowdfunding Strategies for Business Sustainability - 2020-2022
▫ K2Games - Learning by playing - 2018-2021

I love volunteering and have been doing so for more than two decades, starting even before getting won over by international youth work, which revealed my passion for Non-Formal Education and Experiential Learning. I've worked for various youth organisations, international, European and national NGOs and informal local groups.

I also have professional experience as a podcaster, web & graphic designer, cinema manager, computer or sound technician and singer/stage performer. I do, however, value my volunteer experience more, as I feel I have developed many more skills non-formally rather than formally by being given a chance to manage a team or coordinate a project/event and, above all, to teach people in an experiential, interactive and fun way, which has led to pursuing a professional career as a soft skills trainer/facilitator and consultant.